With relation to torque converters of a type shown in my prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,968,651, further development work and consideration of the torque converter disclosed therein indicates that some improvements may be possible to the construction disclosed. That is, it may be necessary to provide axial take-up in the sets of gears in the torque converter as wear occurs on the sides of the gear assemblies, and it may be desirable to provide improved types of means for insuring radial separation planes being readily created between different sets of the input, output or idler gears in the torque converter. In general, other improvements in the controls and functioning of the device may be desirable.
Hydraulic gear pumps and gear motors are historically sturdy, simple and small devices that have established their durability in functions such as oil pumps in auto and truck engines.
Connecting a gear pump to an engine to have it supply pressurized fluid to a gear motor connected to the drive wheels of a vehicle would make a transmission system with a one-to-one gear ratio; i.e. an unsatisfactory torque-multiplication capability to accelerate a vehicle, and an unsatisfactory loss of torque through leakage in the pump and motor units.
However, in the trans-clutch unit of the invention, several more sets of gears are contained within a common compartment and these transfer gears can be clutched to either the pump or the motor gears, in arrangements that provide a wide range of torque-multiplication and make the leakage factor insignificant.
Accordingly, it is the general object of the present invention to provide an improved torque converter wherein automatic axially directed wear take-up means are provided to maintain low rates of working pressure loss as wear of the sides of the gears occurs.
Another object of the invention is to provide improved control means for aiding in setting up and creating high pressure separation planes between preselected pairs of adjacent gears of axially aligned sets of gears in the torque converter.
Other objects of the invention are to provide a check valve and vane construction for use in establishing gear side pressure in the trans-clutch torque converter; to provide a multiple individual gear set or assembly with herringbone shaped gear teeth and a special wear composition gear as an end gear in each multiple gear set; to provide fluid pressure transmitting slots in selected side areas of the gears for maintaining gear tooth alignment in adjacent sets of gears in the torque converter; to provide improved circulatory systems for liquids in the torque converter; and to improve the dependability, operability and serviceability of the torque converter.